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thank you

the official newspaper files of the

early West record many stories of famous

and notorious characters of that period

among them Frank and Jesse James train

in the bloodthirsty School of Border

Warfare they rode Rush shot from 1866 to

1882 through four states of the middle

west to become the most widely known

bank and train robbers in the annals of

American Crime

on a cold night January the 5th 1875 a

group of detectives acting on a tip-off

at the James boys or in the Old

Homestead in Jackson County Missouri

silently surrounded The Farmhouse of Dr

Samuels

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so as to make targets of the inmates the

men tossed in a metal bomb type flare

Jesse's mother trying to Snuff out the

bomb pushed to kerosene noted object

into the fireplace

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unbelievable

to think that they're men in this world

who throw bombs at innocent people at a

kind gentle woman

and a harmless little boy of ten

just think of it Jess little brother

Archie dead I am thinking of it Frank

I'll be thinking of it for a long time

we were there a night before last never

saw the family looking better

detectives cowardly yanking mercenaries

that's all detectives are Jesse for a

few paltry dollars they'd bomb their own

mothers I declare war on them here and

now water the Finish

by heaven will make ghosts out of every

one of it comes our way

I'll need money for the Burien

there's a stage coming up from Hot

Springs

wouldn't we carrying more than five or

six hundred it's currently Detective

who told you

call Young or send word that a young

stranger was asking a lot of questions

and heading this way

he said he smelled like a detective to

stay out of town we rode hard we could

just catch that stage

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let's not be for mine

poor little Archie

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I'm Matt Clark railroad detective the

young lady acrossed away is Frankie

Adams my partner on this case as far as

anybody else is concerned Were Strangers

strictly on our own as we move into Clay

County the stronghold of Frank and Jesse

Jane Frank and I were only part of a

network closing in slowly but surely on

the James gang

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box Chad and clean it out don't forget

the registered mail

anything you'd rather keep for yourself

grandpappy put it right here in the bank

where she'll be safe and sound as one

Southerner to another side I find your

conduct outrageous why a thousand

pardons Colonel I should have known you

were a southerner you may keep the watch

as a souvenir of this occasion

then you must be Jesse James

maybe so colonel

but you better not say that again until

I'm 20 miles away

how do you do this

what brings you to our Fair state of

Missouri well

I've just been made new post mistress at

the Carney looks like people around here

are going to have pretty good reason for

answering their mail

I haven't gotten much money but let's uh

keep it and get back in the coach where

you'll be more comfortable

thank you

everything Mr right into the strong box

what's your name God Lasseter Frank have

we any relations named Lassiter

no that's a good old southern name but

he's not one of us he talks like a

treacherous Yankee Fred you're right

happened to be born and raised in

Cincinnati Ohio ah here tell that's a

real life Steamboat town what are you

doing way out here buying cattle I know

where you can pick up some mighty fine

Jersey beef stairs I'd have to be awful

drunk to buy jerseys for meat

either somebody's pulling your leg

Mister you're pulling mine

what might your business be young fella

I'm a horse trader from Alabama Alabama

did you fight in the war sure did Sir

name your rank regiment and commanding

officer

I was a private Soldier

my regiment was the 22nd field artillery

my commanding lost his name no such

regiment boy you're lying this must be

that Yankee detective we heard about

must be let's see what you got in your

pockets

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until he was shot I didn't know another

detective had been traveling with me his

tragic mistake was my salvation

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attorney was a county seat not much

bigger than a one horse town but Lively

for its size

Frankie had taken her job in the post

office

was turned out to be a little more than

a booth at the local grocery store her

orders were simple enough she was to be

on the lookout for letters barring any

one of the many agencies used by the

James boys and their gang

I took a room as close to the post

office as I could find still playing out

the role of cattle buyer

may I have a stand for this please

that'll be five cents

you're new here aren't you yes sir

I don't mean to appear bold but it does

seem like we've met before

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we might have I've met quite a few

people in the last few weeks although I

don't remember you and that's a trouble

when a man's business keeps him on the

road doesn't give much of a chance to

make friends

that depends upon how fast you travel

what's your business if I may be support

Bank Examiner

next time I'm passing through I'll mail

another letter

famous

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anything in general delivery for

Lassiter Matt

that Mammoth just left that's Jesse Jane

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by the time I got a horse and delivery

stable he'd be long gone what makes you

so sure with Jesse that's pranking eyes

that's a man that held up the stage

how could I ever forget them what do you

come in for

Mr Chadwell Pierce general delivery

Kansas City open it up

this paper is all the mailer is for you

Mr Lasseter

you'll excuse me I think I'll shake up

the stove a little it's getting chilly

in here

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Dear Sir my brother and I will be

visiting our sister in Kansas City at

the end of the week

if your cousins have their wagons we can

head West to make our fortunes give my

regards to the cousins

who is truly Mr Johnson what do you make

of it nothing much

what are we gonna do about it

we're going to go to Canada some person

to Mr Chadwell Pierce

who knows I'd be our chance to walk

pregnant Jesse right into a trap

Medina's today Mr last today

it was simple enough to get Frankie

place in the Kansas City Post Office

handling General deliveries

I hung around in the back room with

employees we got no action till the end

of the week then on the 18th of February

got anything in general delivery for

Pierce

Pierce yeah Chad will pierce

there's one letter for you sir

like

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see you later Frankie

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this was what we've been waiting for it

was our hope he'd lead us to the Kansas

City Hideout of the James gang

thank you

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make sure I'm not bothered

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about now it's beginning to feel pretty

good feeling that at last we were

getting somewhere after all our pains

taking work

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thank you

you know Jess I didn't know this Whistle

Stop had a bank well forget it we're not

interested in Banks this trip

we've got just a half an hour before

train time we're going to need a real

good excuse to keep the sheriff away

from us

there comes just what we're looking for

some real important gentle folk come on

be nice and quiet uncle and you'll stay

alive to tell your Kinfolk all about it

beg your pardon ladies

my friends and I are going to keep

company with you for about half an hour

but if you make any trouble you'll able

to get those feathers shot right off

your hats

head for the railroad tracks get us

there safe and sound and we're liable to

do the same for you

Chad tell the sheriff if he gets curious

there's a lot to be

come on let's go

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the folks around here will talk about

this day for years to come yeah they'll

even make it bigger than it is they'll

say it was the day Jesse and his gang

kidnapped the whole town of Waterville

and then held at hostage while they

robbed the 845. and with a hotel full of

detectives in Kansas City

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but keep an eye on the citizens Joe you

take care of the engineer Ed bring up

the wagon

the rest of you boys take care of the

passengers

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let's make it quick

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bring up that wagon come on

your husband

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back in Kansas City I alerted the

authorities on Jessie's being in the

vicinity we no sooner got word of the

robbery than the wire started humming

thank you

I was part of a large Posse that

searched for two days we'd begun to

think that Jesse had gone to earth like

so many times in the past when suddenly

on the morning of the third day the

group I was with had a lucky break

we came suddenly on a train of freight

wagons

we were about to ride on around when it

occurred to me that Jesse had used a

wagon in the robbery and it also

mentioned wagons in his letter

it was binoculars

thank you

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alongside one of the wagons I was sure

of it

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here comes the Lord let's get out of

here

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foreign

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thank you

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Frank will have to

leave

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[Applause]

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there's a combination is safe

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from then on Jesse was doomed sooner or

later one of the raw recruits he was

always picking up would turn on him for

that ten thousand dollars reward

which is of course what finally happened

one evening in January 1882 I was in the

office of the Kansas City chief of

police on a matter that had nothing to

do with Jesse James

you Mr Robert Ford Bob Ford

what's so important it couldn't wait

till morning my Airtel is a ten thousand

dollar reward out for Jesse James dead

or alive that's right

what makes a young fella like you think

he can earn it

ever here tell her Charlie Ford can't

say that I have he's my brother he's one

of Jesse's gang he's with Jesse right

now

and uh what kind of help do you want

from us me and my brother want to do it

legal you deputize me and I'll do the

rest sit down son sit down

and you have ideas of getting in with

the gang that's right Charlie's been

bragging me up Jesse's getting kind of

desperate for men

what do you think

well he's taking all the risk what do

you got to lose

take this young man out and have him

deputized

thank you Captain

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Frankie Adams and I happen to be in

Saint Joe Missouri in the spring of

1882.

we didn't know it until later but Jesse

James and his family were there too

living under an assumed name in a little

rented house up at Lafayette and 13th

Street

it was a Monday morning the third of

April Jesse and Charlie Ford had been

out back in the Stables grooming and

feeding the saddle horses Charlie had

stopped in the kitchen to talk to his

brother Bob

it was an unusually warm day for April

so Jesse opened the door to the street

and took off his coat

been feeling in his guns might allow

suspicion and anyone passing outside he

took them off too

the guns were both business-like 45s won

a Colt the other a Smith and Wesson

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are known to Jesse Bob Ford was watching

him closely had been watching him for

days now waiting for a chance to catch

Jesse unarmed

began to look like the moment he was

waiting for so he alerted his brother

Charlie

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I tell you

yeah it isn't it

great racehorse at Skyrocket yeah

kind of Dusty though

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Jesse turned his back

it was his last mistake

Jesse James died as violently as he had

lived

the two Ford Brothers ran to the nearest

Telegraph office and notified the

authorities that Jesse James was dead

word spread rapidly the morbidly curious

began coming from all directions

because we were in town at the time

Frankie and I were called in to help

with the identification

for all their few detectives had ever

seen Jesse face to face and live to tell

about it

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Frankie I guess we can close the files

on the James gang

don't be too sure about that his

brother's still around

I wouldn't worry about Frank

he hasn't written with Jesse for a long

time it's only his loyalty to Jesse it's

kept him from coming out of hiding

I'll make you a Betty turned himself in

before six months I'll have you know sir

I never make bets

unless it's a sure thing

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[Applause]